Silestone FAQ’s

What is Silestone?
Silestone is the registered brand name for the top-end range of stylish quartz worktops manufactured by Cosentino, one of Spain’s largest companies
With trademarked anti-bacterial protection based on the latest generation of silver ions, not found in any other brand of worktop. The unmatched quality and characteristics of these worktops make Silestone  the world leader in natural quartz surface worktops.

What is Silestone made of?
Silestone is manufactured from the highest quality natural quartz, an exceptionally hard, durable and resilient natural silicate mineral known as Crystallized Silicon Dioxide. Some well known varieties of Quartz include Rose Quartz, Citrine and Amethyst and have been used in jewellery since antiquity. Quartz can also be found as essential constituents of igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, carbonate rocks and quartzite. While most of the varieties are usually white or transparent, the material can be tinted throughout to almost any conceivable colour during the manufacturing process. Thus, it is not only a surface colour. Silestone contains 94% natural quartz, blended with polyester resin for greater elasticity, and tinted with special quartz colourants to create more than 60 unique quartz or designer colours during a special vibrocompaction process.

What are the distinctive qualities of Silestone worktops?

  • Quartz has a unique crystal appearance. It has an elegance and beauty that can only be achieved by natural gems such as quartz or diamonds, with a sparkling gleam and unique touch.
  • The natural quartz used in Silestone®  worktops has an incomparable density, making it non-porous, extraordinarily hard, and yet resilient with a high degree of elasticity for longer life.
  • Silestone®  worktops have the weight and feel of natural stone, but with far superior qualities of consistency of strength, durability, resilience and elasticity. Unlike natural stone, it is also non-porous, making for far greater hygiene and resistance to stains.
  • On the Mohs hardness scale, giving diamonds a 10, Quartz scores a 7, by far outperforming laminates, melamine and even natural stone materials such as granite.
  • It is the only worktop treated with bacteriostatic protection for added hygiene and sterility.
  • Silestone®  worktops are highly resistant to acids, stains, scratches, heat and knocks experienced in the kitchen, giving you lifelong peace of mind.
  • Silestone worktops have a 10 year Limited Warranty.
  • Silestone worktops have the most inspiring array of colours available on the market, ranging from natural crystal tones to vivid designer hues.
  • The colour consistency of Silestone worktops is far better than in any other natural stone. Yet, as in any natural material, small colour variations, spotting and sometimes slight pitting enhance the natural appearance of Silestone  worktops.
  • Silestone  worktops have a unique range of integrated sinks and bowls.
  • Silestone  worktops are available in a variety of finishes:
    • Polished finish: High gloss and completely smooth and flat to the touch
    • Suede finish: Textured surface with a matt finish and soft touch
    • Volcano finish: Rustic and soft at the same time
    • Silestone worktops can be shaped and formed even in large sections, minimizing the number of joints.
    • Silestone worktops are available in several different formats and thicknesses, making it extremely versatile for a great many applications in your kitchen, bathroom, shower, walls and floors.

Where can Silestone worktops be used?
Silestone worktops are eminently suited for kitchens and bathrooms as worktops, wall cladding and even flooring.  It is also frequently used in sensitive areas such as airport and hotel check-in counters because it is so easy to clean and to maintain high levels of sterility and hygiene.

Can Silestone worktops be formed into different shapes and designs?
Silestone cannot be thermoformed in the way solid surfaces can, but can be cut to any shape and edges polished.

Are Silestone Worktops easy to clean?
Silestone®  is arguably the easiest of all worktop surfaces to keep clean. Because it is a solid, non-porous worktop with a smooth surface, it does not absorb liquids and it is more resistant to stains than any other worktop available. It can simply be wiped, or cleaned with a normal detergent. Its antibacterial qualities ensure exceptionally high hygiene and sterility, making it highly suitable for kitchen worktops.

Are Silestone worktops resistant to damage?
Silestone’s  resistance to scratches, stains, knocks and heat surpasses that of any other type of worktop. As with any high quality product of value,  proper care must still be taken by using chopping blocks, cleaning the worktops properly and avoiding abuse and excessive exposure to scratches, hard knocks or heat.

Can Silestone worktops be repaired if damaged?
Silestone Worktops can withstand a higher degree of knocks from pots and pans than any other worktop, but should not be treated with reckless carelessness. In the unlikely event that it is damaged, Worktop.net has an expert team that can repair most types of damage (however in the case of cracks it will need replacing). A manufactured defect will be covered by the 10 year Limited Warranty.

Do Silestone worktops require special care or maintenance?
Silestone®  worktops do not require out of the ordinary care or maintenance and it does not have to be sealed or treated. The worktops are highly resistant to damage and by regularly cleaning them properly with mild household cleaners and by taking reasonable precautions to prevent damage from heat sources, scratches and knocks, they will last a lifetime. Stubborn stains or spills can be soaked for ten minutes and rubbed vigorously with a non-abrasive pad. Silestone®  Leather does require daily cleaning to avoid the buildup of daily living and dust.

How are Silestone worktops joined?
Silestone is a quartz material which is a natural stone and so should be treated like granite. All joints are butted together to give a clean, flexible joint.  We do not use epoxy jointing compunds because these are not flexible and crack over time.

How many colours are available in Silestone worktops?
Silestone®  Worktops are available in more than 60 unique quartz colours such as Azulugarit, Stellar Marina, and Ebony Pearl, to designer colours such as Rojoeros, Magenta Energy and Amazon. These colours are complemented by a wide variety of textures and finishes. (See our products page for full details.)

Do Silestone worktops come in different thicknesses?
Silestone®  worktops are available in 12mm, 20mm and 30 mm thicknesses. Different edgings and downturns can be applied to create the impression of solid worktops up to 100mm.

Can Silestone®  worktops only be used in the kitchen?
Silestone®  worktops can be used anywhere that you require worktops, countertops, wall cladding, or even flooring.

  • Because of its versatility it can be formed into almost any shape or design.
  • Because of its incomparably high hygiene rating and antibacterial qualities, it can be used in homes, hospitals, surgeries and laboratories.
  • Because it is so easy to clean and maintain, Silestone® worktops are used in sensitive areas such as hotels, airports and sports stadiums for check-in counters and in cloakrooms, change rooms and bathrooms.
  • Because of the wide range of textures and colours, you can use Silestone®  worktops in any other room in your house, office or boardroom where a countertop, worktop, boardroom table or desk is required.
  • Because of its natural beauty, you can use it for wall cladding in your home, office, boardroom, laboratory, surgery, reception hall, or anywhere else.
  • Because of its density and imperviousness to water, it can be used in bathrooms, showers and wetrooms. You can use Silestone®  to create a seamless, waterproof floor or shower basin.

Do Silestone worktops expand and contract?
Due to seasonal temperature differences, Silestone® worktops can expand and contract by 1 mm per metre of worktop.

Is Silestone safe for my children?
Silestone is completely non-toxic and anti-bacterial. Because it does not absorb moisture and there are no crevices in the joints or surface for bacterial buildup, your child is protected from germs.

Is Silestone environmentally friendly?
Silestone is manufactured in terms of strict standards of safety, limiting waste and energy consumption. All the materials used are completely non-toxic and recyclable. When burned (an accident in the kitchen, or fire) Silestone®  does not emit toxic halogenated gases. (Naturally in any fire care should be taken against inhaling carbon monoxide!)

What are the benefits of Silestone worktops?

  • Silestone has a distinctive beauty and appearance unmatched by any other material, except quartz crystal and diamonds. For opulence and sophistication at an affordable price, it has no match.
  • Silestone®  is cost-effective because it has been produced to last a lifetime and carries a unique 10 year Limited Warranty.
  • It is stronger and more durable than any other worktop available on the market, because of Silestone® ’s  unequalled density, hardness, strength, elasticity, thickness and resistance to damage, enhanced by a special vibrocompaction manufacturing process.
  • Exceptional hygiene and ease of cleaning. Silestone®  is a solid, non-porous surface which does not absorb moisture or fluids, and it is specially treated with a unique bacteriostatic formula of silver ions making it suitable even for laboratories and hospitals.
  • It is versatile. You can personalise your kitchen with infinite combinations of designs, colours, patterns, textures and forms it can be shaped to your unique circumstances.
  • Silestone® ’s smooth surface is exceptionally easy to clean and maintain.
  • Silestone®  worktops can be repaired in the unlikely event of being damaged. Bluestone has a team of expert technicians that can repair most types of damage either onsite or in our factory. Flaws in the manufactured product are covered by the 10 year Limited Warranty.
  • Silestone® worktops are in a league of their own. It is the highest quality surface, with unmatched beauty, unequalled hygiene protection, endless design possibilities, and yet available to you at a highly affordable price.